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I am a stay-at-home mother of two whose passion (besides my family) is books. I am an avid reader who enjoys all types of books, although I mainly read fiction. In addition to reading, I also love crocheting, knitting, cooking, running, and watching Penn State sports. Contact me: bookingmama@gmail.com
@bookingmama (Twitter)

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Monday, July 26, 2010

For most of you, The Sweet Valley High series brings back many wonderful memories! In fact, many credit this series with initiating a long-standing love affair with romance, women’s popular fiction and chick lit books. These books truly epitomized what every young girl dreamed about -- perfect 17 year old twins, a beautiful California community, hot guys, bad boys, sweet cars, school dances and good old-fashioned kissing.

Fast forward ten years -- beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood in SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL (St. Martin’s Press), due out in March 2011. This new women’s fiction book, written by the original author and creator Francine Pascal, will allow millions of fans to return to the idyllic town of Sweet Valley (or even visit it for the first time!)

I'm sure you can imagine the excitement surrounding this novel from Sweet Valley Twins fans everywhere. Due to overwhelming demand, St. Martin’s Press is giving a sneak peek into the lives of Jess and Liz ten years later, releasing Chapter One of 2011’s most anticipated book online at SweetValleyTenYearsLater.com. If you can't get enough about the Sweet Valley Twins, you can also follow Sweet Valley Confidential on Twitter and on Facebook.

As part of the celebration for SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL, I have a fantastic giveaway to share with you -- a basket of 10 best-selling books from St. Martin’s Press including books by authors Emily Giffin and Jackie Collins. To enter, just post a comment (with your email address) about the book or books you read as a child that made you fall in love with reading and influenced what you read today. The contest will be open until August 8th at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. Good luck!

yay!!! a new Sweet Valley book!!! for all of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s..with the new BSC book as well...it's like childhood happening all over again! anywho i grew up reading Baby Sitters Club, Sweet Valley (Kids, Twins, High, University), Nancy Drew, Girl Talk, Little House on the Prairie..too many to name. Heh..lots of chick lit back in the day too

I loved the Sweet Valley High series. I would spend my allowance money on nothing but books. I also loved reading Judy Blume (loved Forever even though I was probably too young to totally understand it). And I loved VC Andrews' Flowers in the Attic. Again, a book that wasn't age appropriate but I loved it anyway.

I grew up with Nancy Drew, then became enamoured with books by Rosamund du Jardin (anybody remember her?) As far as influencing what I read today (historical fiction mostly) I read lots of a biography series for young people, old blue covers, about Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Patsy Jefferson, etc. A fun trip down memory lane. Thanks for the great giveaway.lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

Oh gosh, I don't know what influenced what I read today. I think most of the books I loved made me into a life-long reader like the Harry Potter series, the Baby Sitter Club series, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Orphan of Ellis Island, some Roald Dahl books, etc.

I am a Sweet Valley girl through and through. Started with SV Twins #4, Choosing Sides when I was in 4th grade and it was a rare day to find me without one of the books. It truly was the beginning of my love affair with reading and all thinks girly/chick related!

You name it, I read it! I devoured every Sweet Valley High (I especially loved the Thriller Super Editions!), as well as Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. And of course, Judy Blume. I think those are all must-reads for young girls. The protagonists were a mixture of headstrong and smart women, as well as some insecure and ordinary ones. We could imagine what we could be and at the same time, feel a connection that there really is someone out there who understands us.

Thanks for this giveaway. Wonderful. An unforgettable and great book that resounded with me when I was young was a British book by Enid Blyton. Enjoyed all British novels and still do. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

books are like crack - I have always loved to read and still work at a bookstore part-time. My favorites growing up included all things sweet valley, including the unicorn club, encyclopedia brown, babysitters club, as well as all of the v. c. andrews books (which are still creepy, weird and fantastic to this day)

I loved the Boxcar Children series, The Little House series, and Judy Blume's books. I still love books about families and family situations and that is because almost all of the books that I read when I was a kid centered around them.Alicia Webster5webs@comcast.net

We had a book collection that included various stories in several, thick books: Aesop's Fables, Brother's Grimm, classic fairy tales, and cultural tales. My favorites back then were the cultural ones, particularly the Asian stories because I'm half Korean and lived in Korea at the time. Shortly after, I stopped reading as a hobby until a few years ago, and my favorite books are that of Asian culture. Full circle, basically. Haha~

First of all, what a great giveaway! I'm so glad Sweet Valley will be back with the original author to boot!One of my favorite series as a kid, that I read and re-read, was the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. I was enchanted by Deep Valley and like many girls everywhere, wanted to be Betsy! Thanks for the chance to win!JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

I started off by compulsively reading "The Babysitters Club", and then moved on to "Sweet Valley High". Oh, SVH taught me so much!!!! *insert nostalgic sigh here* I was going through my old books a while back and refused to give away a couple of my old SVH books. I'd love to be entered for this fantastic giveaway!!

I started reading when I was four or five years old. Books like Dick and Jane (LOL), Curious George, and Madeleine started my voracious love of reading :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!theluckyladybug[at]gmail[dot]com

I never read Sweet Valley Series unfortunately, but I was loyal to the Baby Sitters Club and R.L.Stine's Fear Street. I'm tempted to actually start reading some of the SV Series though, because a few of my friends have been telling me about some of the story lines and the series sounds entertaining.meaculpa115@yahoo.com

I am a follower. Great giveaway. I enjoyed reading books such as Romeo and Juliet, Scarlet Letter and Little House on the Prairie. I have always love reading. It is my favorite and most enjoyable thing to do. Tore923@aol.com

I lived and breathed books as a child and still do to this day. I can recall reading all the Nancy Drew books, Trixie Belden, Sweet Valley High, Babysitter's Club, Sleepover Club, Ramona books, and later all the VC Andrews and some Jackie Collins (I had to sneak those ones LOL!!)

The books that really made me love reading as a child was the Little House series, but I loved Sweet Valley, too. These were my favorite books as I got older, and I had them all LOL!! I have to say, I'm very excited about this book LOL!!!!

I loved Sweet Valley High! Plus the Baby-sitters Club, of course, and all the Madeleine L'Engle books, particularly the ones with the Murry family. I read the first chapter of Sweet Valley Confidential and wow...I really can't wait to read it!

As a kid, I think one of the first books that really made me love reading was "The Velveteen Rabbit." I could read it every year for the rest of my life and still be touched by the message. Same with "The Giving Tree." Thanks for the chance to win the generous prize pack! (krstrpp at hotmail dot com)

Cool giveaway. I could write an essay here. :) I loved the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, along with Ellen Tebbits. I also loved Judy Blume's books. Later I was addicted to Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High. And then I found out about V.C. Andrews and she got me through junior high, high school and college.

I started with all the Beverly Cleary books from Beezus and Ramona to her more teenage books and all the Anne of Green Gables books. That started me on the road to becoming a Jane Austen fan, anything Tudors and Twilight and good historical fiction! Just finished The Invisible Bridge and loved it.

I read every series I could get my hands on as a child, starting with an OLD series called All of a Kind Family, going on to Nancy Drew, ending with Sweet Valley High! I'm so grateful I developed a love of reading, because it's one of my greatest joys and forms of relaxation as an adult!Thanks!

I actually loved the sweet valley high books! I also really enjoyed the babysitters club, and the babysitters club mysteries, AND THE BOXCAR CHILDREN as well as Nancy Drew. Today I read a lot of mysteries and general fiction :)

I grew up reading my grandparents old Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and Cherry Ames (nurse series) books. I also loved the Babysitter's Club and of course Sweet Valley High series, I am so looking forward to the new book coming out. What a great give away!

The first set of books that I really remember not wanting to put down were the Boxcar Children.After that I read (and still do) everything that I can get my hands on. With some of my favorites being James Patterson, Anne Rice Jackie Collins and Stephen King.I have tried to teach my children that you can go anywhere you want by opeing a book.Thank you so much for the giveaway.

The Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High books were definitely on the top of my list. I think it's great that they are back ten years after(it's been much longer than that for me!) I also liked Judy Blume books..classics!

I read a series of books that were called Betsy/Tacey book and then were expanded to Betsy/Tacey and Tib books. A great series that I read when I was very young. To this day, when I like a character I like to continue reading about him or her.

I loved the Sweet Valley High books, in fact my mom just found a box of them in my old bedroom. I also loved the Sweet Dreams books, Beverly Cleary books and Judy Blume books. Susanmama2rob at yahoo dot com

Yes, I have to admit that I've read some of the Sweet Valley High books. I remember I came home from school and found a box of books on my bed. My mom bought them at a garage sale. The books were of SVH and The Baby-sitters Club. She knew I loved to read and got them for me. I did read them. At the time I also read R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike and Judy Blume. Several years ago, I started collecting kids books that I use to read at thrift stores. Thanks for my love of reading, I found an interest in writing.

I read all kinds of books and my favorite authors were Norma Klein, E.B. White, S.E. Hinton and Peggy Parish. Some of these kind of led into the kind of books I like as an adult.digicat {AT} sbcglobal {DOT} net

I loved the Sweet Valley High series when I was young, but my all time favorite would have to be The Babysitter's Club. They really opened the world of reading to me and I'm looking forward to introducing my daughter to the series when she is older.

Little House on the Prairie. I even tell my kids those are so great you should read them, all the time. I love how they had so little and how just going to town was a very special treat. Christmas was not much but it was wonderful. One also learns how to live simply when you read those books. spencer1953 at gmail dot com-carol.

I can't really say that what I read as a child influenced what I read today because English class TOTALLY turned me off to reading (as long as I live, I will NEVER forget the quiz question of what Mr. Pumblechook had for breakfast!! He wasn't even a major character in Great Expectations, NOR did what he have for breakfast have ANYTHING to do with the story. In fact, when my son had to read it, he went looking for it - and it wasn't there!! But then we figured out that he was reading the abridged version, so I went to the library to get out the real version. It turns out that his breakfast was ONLY mentioned as something like he was going to do something after he finished his breakfast of.... whatever it was).

But I digress. I loved Baby Island, 5 Children and It, and Understood Betsy when I was growing up. After I had kids, I started reading again because I was supposed to set a good example for them. I really like serial killers and other thrillers. They let me escape from my real life, so I can fall asleep without my mind racing all night.

I started reading the Little House on the Prairie books when I was 9. I was instantly hooked and could not put them down. I have them today and try to get my children interested in them. However, with Twilight and Percy Jackson, Little house on the prarie is not the first series of choice.

WOW! I have always been a reader and I have read SOOO many books over my lifetime. The books that pop into my head are by Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, The Little House series, Anne of Green Gables, and the list goes on and on..... It seems like forever ago that I read Sweet Valley High! I would LOVE to be the winner! Thanks for the chance!